Tuesday, June 6, 2017

London Mayor Suggests President Trump's State Visit Should Be Cancelled

London Mayor Sadiq Khan suggested that President Trump’s
planned state visit to Britain should be cancelled, telling Channel 4 News that
the country should not be “rolling out the red carpet to the president of the
U.S.A. in the circumstances where his policies go against everything we stand
for.” This was in response to the president’s tweet stating, “At least 7 dead
and 48 wounded in terror attack and Mayor of London says there is ‘no reason to
be alarmed.’”

You
“stand for” continuing to let your own citizens be butchered? I wouldn’t think they’d stand for that. In fact, “Khan
man,” after the latest terror attack in your city, many more people can’t stand, period. Because they’re
dead or maimed.

And you
had the unmitigated gall to say there’s “no reason to be alarmed?” It doesn’t matter if you were referring to
the attack itself, or specifically- and only-
to the bolstered police presence, as you claim. Is not the bolstered
police or military presence itself a sign of something about which to be alarmed?
Or do you fancy becoming a police state for the hell of it? When London was
being bombed during World War II, should its citizens have been utterly
sanguine about armed men and military vehicles everywhere? Of course, this was
absolutely necessary, but it would have been folly to claim there was “no
reason to be alarmed.”

Referring
to the relationship between the long-time allies, Khan said: “…it is no
different from when you have got a close mate. You stand with them in times of
adversity but you call them out when they are wrong. And there are many things
about which Donald Trump is wrong.”

Thanks
for clearing that up, Mayor. Apparently one of the things he’s still wrong
about is the need to protect his own people. Trump, who upon hearing of the
latest attacks on England, immediately sent his condolences and support to
Britain and those directly affected by the heinous acts of terrorism, called
Khan’s remark “pathetic.”

But
what is truly pathetic is that the terrorists who committed the three most recent
assaults on Britain were known to British authorities prior to the attacks. In
each and every case, the authorities failed to take action that would have
prevented the deaths of 34 innocents and the maiming of scores more.

Khalid
Masood, who used a van and a knife in his attacks on the Westminster Bridge
last March, had previously been convicted of a variety of charges. He had also
been investigated by MI5 for suspected extremism, but the famous domestic
security service apparently thought he wasn’t all that radicalized.

Salman
Abedi, who blew himself- and others- up outside an Arianna Grande concert in
Manchester a few weeks ago, was known by several folks to have extremist
tendencies and terrorist leanings. This had been conveyed to authorities. MI5
is currently conducting a second review into how it missed the threat Abedi
posed.

London
Bridge terrorist Khuram Butt was also
on police radar for links to Islamic extremism. He was openly supportive of
ISIS, and had actually appeared in a 2016 British television documentary
titled: “The Jihadis Next Door,” in which he can be seen praying near an ISIS
flag and cavorting with a radical Muslim leader, an associate of jailed imam
Anjem Choudary. This led Mark Steyn, recently appearing on Fox & Friends, to dub Choudary “an Emmy nominee for Best
Jihadist in a British Documentary.”

Incredibly (I
wish I had a stronger word), despite this, British police said he was not
viewed as a serious threat before the London Bridge Massacre.

Moreover,
Italian intelligence operatives told Politico Europe recently that Youssef
Zaghba, another of the London terrorists, was detained while flying from Italy
to Istanbul in March 2016, and was thought to be headed for ISIS-controlled
territory in Syria. Zaghba was asked by authorities why he was flying to
Turkey. He reportedly replied: “I’m going to be a terrorist.” The Italians said
they warned Moroccan and British officials about Zaghba, yet British police
issued a statement saying that Zaghba “was not a police or MI5 subject of
interest.”

Apparently,
he should have been.

To recap,
even starring in a television documentary about local terrorists or
proclaiming, “I’m going to be a terrorist,” isn’t enough to get the attention
of the very authorities that are supposed to be protecting their citizens.

Daily Trivia Quiz Answer

Today's Answer: Andrew Jackson. ("Poll" got so worked up before the service he apparently had to be removed from the premises, as he was cussing long and loud).

Q) What words appear on the front of the penny, nickel, dime and quarter, alongside the likeness of presidents?

A) "Liberty" and "In God We Trust"

An Ode To Life

Appreciate all you have, as it- and you- will soon be gone. Leave no heartfelt words unspoken, no sweet gesture incomplete, no act of love undone. Love your spouse with passion and abandon, your kids with patience and understanding but also a firm guidance. Love also the truth, no matter how hard. If pursued by enough people with enough courage, it really will set us free.

And don't forget, we didn't ask to be born. We didn't create ourselves. We are not gods. There is a higher power.

Fireworks of the Mind

Write It Up

Whence Shall Come Another?

True Then, True Now

"If you will not fight for right when you can easily win without bloodshed; if you will not fight when your victory is sure and not too costly; you may come to the moment when you will have to fight with all the odds against you and only a precarious chance of survival. There may even be a worse case. You may have to fight when there is no hope of victory, because it is better to perish than to live as slaves."- Winston Churchill

Time Well Wasted

The power lies within your hands To do with what you may But the hourglass is filled with sands Of endless yesterdays